Origins 22 - Genealogy & History

11/10/2026

Cape Town traffic police showing off their newly acquired patrol motorcycles on 18 June 1962. Photo: Die Burger.🦉

11/10/2026

The Story of Jagersfontein🦉

Jagersfontein, in the Free State, became known for its diamond mine, which produced some of the largest diamonds ever discovered. Its history began long before the mine opened, on a farm whose name would eventually become recognised around the world.

The name Jagersfontein comes from the original farm associated with Jacobus Jagers, a Griqua man who sold the property to C.F. Visser in 1854.

In August 1870, farmer J.J. de Klerk discovered a diamond weighing approximately 50 carats in the area. The find attracted prospectors, and digging began soon afterwards. However, the discovery of richer diamond deposits near Kimberley drew many people away, and Jagersfontein received less attention for several years.

The mine’s fortunes changed as its diamond deposits became better known. In 1893, miners discovered the Excelsior, a remarkable diamond weighing 972 carats. It was the largest diamond known at the time and was eventually cut into several smaller stones. Two years later, another exceptional diamond was found. Originally named the Reitz after Francis William Reitz, president of the Orange Free State, it was renamed the Jubilee Diamond in 1896 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The rough stone weighed 650.8 carats.

By 1893, individual mining claims had been consolidated under one company, which had a working arrangement with De Beers. The mine initially operated as an enormous open excavation, with workers removing the earth largely by hand. Underground mining began in 1909, allowing work to continue beneath the surface. Over its operational life, the mine produced approximately 9.6 million carats of diamonds.

Jagersfontein also attracted geological interest. The deposit is a kimberlite pipe, a formation created when volcanic activity brought material from deep within the Earth towards the surface. The excavation eventually covered approximately 19.65 hectares, making it larger in surface area than Kimberley’s Big Hole.

Mining operations ended on 28 May 1971, shortly after the centenary of the first diamond discovery in the area. De Beers retained prospecting rights until 2002. Years later, companies returned to the site to recover diamonds from old mine dumps, and reprocessing operations began in 2010.

On 11 September 2022, a tailings dam at Jagersfontein failed, releasing a large flow of mining waste into surrounding areas. Homes and infrastructure were damaged, agricultural land was affected, and residents were forced to leave their properties. A subsequent government investigation confirmed two deaths, while a third person remained missing and was presumed dead.

Jagersfontein’s history spans more than 150 years, from the discovery of diamonds on a rural property to the operation of a mine known internationally for its exceptional stones. The mine brought wealth and employment to the area, but its history also includes difficult working conditions, deadly labour unrest and the consequences of mining waste. These events are all part of the story of this small Free State town.

11/10/2026

Newlands, 10 August 1963🦉

The Wallabies played the Springboks at Newlands in Cape Town on 10 August 1963 in the second Test of a four match series. Australia won 9 - 5 in front of a crowd of approximately 34 000 spectators.🏉

The Springboks were captained by Abie Malan and coached by Hennie Muller, while John Thornett captained the Wallabies, whose touring squad included scrum-half Ken Catchpole.🏉

The 1963 tour included 20 matches, of which four were Tests against the Springboks. South Africa won the first Test 14 - 3 in Pretoria, but the Wallabies claimed victory at Newlands. Australia then won the third Test 11 - 9 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The Springboks levelled the series with a 22 - 6 victory in the fourth Test in Port Elizabeth on 7 September. The series ended in a 2 - 2 draw.🏉

11/10/2026

When Television Came to South Africa 🦉

On 5 January 1976, South Africans gathered around their television sets for the launch of the country’s regular television service. Operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the new service introduced a form of entertainment that many households had never experienced before.

The opening broadcast began with Heinrich Marnitz presenting in Afrikaans and Dorianne Berry in English. The first programme was a special children’s presentation from the Wielie Walie Speelkamer, featuring Haas Das, the rabbit who would become one of the most recognisable characters in South African television. Wielie Walie began its regular run on 6 January 1976, while Haas Das se Nuuskas became popular with children and adults alike.

Local drama soon found its place on the screen. The Villagers, set around a gold mine on the Witwatersrand, became a well known South African series. The Dingleys, about a family running a bookshop in Pietermaritzburg, was another early local production.

Viewers also gained access to international programmes, including The Bob Newhart Show and the documentary series The World at War. Television brought South African audiences stories and events from beyond their own communities, alongside locally produced entertainment.

11/10/2026

The Story of Willowmore 🦉

Willowmore in the Eastern Cape began as a trading centre on a farm called The Willows, owned by William Moore. The settlement was laid out in 1862 and developed into a town in 1864, when land was donated to the Dutch Reformed Church by Moore and his brother-in-law, Frederick Lehmkuhl. The origin of the name Willowmore is generally associated with the farm’s name and Moore’s surname, although the exact explanation is uncertain.

A Dutch Reformed congregation was established in 1864. A magistracy followed in 1874, and Willowmore became a municipality in 1884.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Willowmore had a Jewish community of traders and businesspeople. A synagogue was built on Victoria Street, with its foundation stone laid on 8 April 1907.

Willowmore was also drawn into the Anglo-Boer War. Boer commandos under Commandant Gideon Scheepers attacked the town on 19 January and 1 June 1901. The conflict left its mark on the district, and graves in the old municipal cemetery commemorate people who died during the war.

Another chapter in the town’s history came in 1918, when the influenza epidemic that spread across South Africa claimed the lives of 13 Willowmore residents whose graves are recorded in the historic cemetery.

11/10/2026

The Mind Behind The Hobbit 🦉

Before J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle-earth, the fictional world that introduced readers to hobbits, elves and dwarves, his own story began in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892 in the Orange Free State, then an independent Boer republic. His father, Arthur Reuel Tolkien, worked as a bank manager, and his mother, Mabel Suffield, cared for him and his younger brother, Hilary. In 1895, Mabel took the boys to England to visit family. Arthur remained in Bloemfontein but died there in 1896 before he could join them. Tolkien never returned to South Africa.

His childhood in England helped shape his interest in languages and old stories. His mother taught him at home and encouraged his education. After she died in 1904, Tolkien came under the guardianship of Father Francis Morgan, a Catholic priest. His Catholic faith remained an important part of his life.

Tolkien studied English language and literature at Oxford University, where he developed a particular interest in Old English and early languages. He also began inventing languages of his own. He wanted these languages to belong to a world with its own peoples, histories and legends. Over time, that imagined world became Middle-earth.

The First World War interrupted his academic career. Tolkien served in the British Army as a signals officer and took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He contracted trench fever and returned to England for treatment. Several of his close friends died during the war, experiences that formed part of the background to his later writing.

In 1916, Tolkien married Edith Bratt. They had four children. While telling stories to his children, he developed the idea that became The Hobbit. Published in 1937, the book introduced Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who leaves his comfortable home to join a group of dwarves on a quest to recover their treasure from the dragon Smaug.

The book’s success led to a request for a sequel. Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings, a much larger work published in three volumes between 1954 and 1955. Its story centred on the One Ring and the attempt to destroy it before its power could be used by the Dark Lord Sauron.

Tolkien’s academic work continued alongside his writing. He became Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford in 1925 and later held the position of Merton Professor of English Language and Literature.

Edith died in 1971. Tolkien died in Bournemouth on 2 September 1973, aged 81. They were buried together in Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford. Their son Christopher later edited his father’s unfinished writings, publishing The Silmarillion in 1977 and making more of Middle-earth’s earlier history available to readers.

11/10/2026

Point Duty, Cape Town, 1966🦉

11/10/2026

Grand Parade, Cape Town, 1942🦉

11/10/2026

Trollie vir trollie is ons die goedkoopste!
Checkers net om die hoek.🦉

11/10/2026

The Story of Menlyn🦉

Menlyn is a suburb in eastern Pretoria, Gauteng, best known for its major shopping and commercial developments. Its growth accelerated during the late 20th century as Pretoria expanded eastwards.

A major milestone came in 1979, when Menlyn Park Shopping Centre opened. The centre was expanded in 1988 and redesigned in 1998, when it included more than 300 shops, restaurants and a rooftop drive-in cinema. Further expansion followed in 2000.

In 2006, developers began planning Menlyn Maine, a mixed use development extending into neighbouring Waterkloof Glen. The project introduced a new phase of commercial development in the area. Menlyn Maine Central Square opened in September 2016, followed by Times Square Casino in April 2017.

Menlyn Park completed a major R2.5 billion redevelopment in November 2016, increasing its lettable floor area to approximately 177,000 square metres.

These developments helped transform Menlyn into one of Pretoria’s major commercial districts. However, the suburb’s earlier history, including the origin of its name and the land’s use before urban development, requires further historical research.